Left Behind.
by Cmdr. Phantom
Summary: Max doesn't escape with others. Now, years later she's been sent by Manticore to round up the others.. who lead the life she's missed out on. **Chapter 5 added**
1. Left Behind

Author: Me! Chrissy. Aka Eyes Only  
  
Rating: I wasn't really sure where it should go. This chapter is fine, next one has a bit of swearing.  
  
Summery: Max didn't escape with Zack and the others that night. Years later she's been sent by Manticore to round up the rouge x5's.. who are living the life she's missed out on.  
  
Spoilers: Defiantly the first episode, which I'm hoping you've all watched. If you're a hard-core fan, you'll figure out most of the dialogue (Logan's anyway) is original.  
  
Feedback: Please! I love it. Even if it's bad.  
  
Author's note: This is my first Dark Angel fan fic, so be kind.  
  
Disclaimer: You all know I don't own anything to do with Dark Angel. If I did.. I wouldn't be sitting here writing about it. (  
  
Max crouched atop a roof, her keen eyes searching the darkened streets. Her enhanced vision, being able to see in the dark, confirmed what she already knew. Her target was not in sight. Not that she really expected it to be. The recon she'd done that day had confirmed her target did not frequent this place often, it was only a matter of time before it showed up.  
  
She settled into wait, being alert, but relaxed at the same time.  
  
It was dark atop the building, the clubhouse below label 'Crash' the only source of light for a few miles. She knew that people in this godforsaken world would be drawn to it, like bees to honey.  
  
The movement of people in and out of Crash was constant, yet her target did not show up. Hours past, yet the battled trained solider kept vigilance, until the club closed it's doors. The movement in the street below stoped, and Max was forced to hole up for the day, to await her target.  
  
----------  
  
Logan Cale stood, gun in hand, pointed at a young woman before him. His bodyguard lay unconscious on the floor, and the woman before him didn't seem the least be fazed by the gun. Not that he could blame her, after the way he'd watched her take out the ex-cop.  
  
Then he noticed the statue in her hand. "Put it down! Now!"  
  
The woman slowly dropped the statue, still not the least bit worried. Still with his gun trained on the woman, Logan turned his head to a woman and child, huddled on a bed, "Lauren...you and Sophy okay?"  
  
The woman, Lauren nodded, "Yeah...we're okay."  
  
Logan turned back to this bodyguard, "Peter?"  
  
"If he's the guy on the floor," the girl spoke up, smiling, "He's a little sore, give him a minute."  
  
"You're a thief?" Logan lowered the gun.  
  
She shrugged, "How else do I get paid?"  
  
"Thank God." Logan relaxed visibly.  
  
The woman's eyes narrowed, "Your serious?"  
  
"I was expecting someone else."  
  
"Ah huh.I guess it wasn't the guy delivering flowers."  
  
"We're just a little tense right now." He picked up the statue she was trying to steal, "You have good taste. French, 1920s, a tribute to Chitarus."  
  
"Who ever that was."  
  
"Oh what, you liked it 'cause it was shinny?"  
  
"No, because it's the statue of Bast, an Egyptian goddess. Eye of Ra, destroyer, protector, avenger. Giver of life who lives forever. She who comprehends all goddesses."  
  
The bodyguard, Peter, emerged suddenly with gun in hand.  
  
"Stay back Peter." Logan warned him, "Securities on it's way."  
  
"As much as I'd love to stay." The woman started to back off, "I havta go."  
  
As the building security entered the room, the woman jumped out the window escaping, and Logan watched, opened mouth.  
  
------------  
  
Max, still on the rooftop, watched as her target moves into the bar, flanked by another. Allowing herself a satisfied grin, she prepared herself, but made no move. The night wore on, and she continued to surveillance the place, keeping a close eye on the door for her target. Then she saw her target walking out with a male, one Max recalled entering the building not 5 minutes ago. She followed them, keeping close to the shadows, her enhanced hearing picking up their conversation.  
  
"How did you find me?" the girl asked.  
  
"Wasn't hard." He replied.  
  
"But why?"  
  
"You know who I am, where I live. I figured I'd better find out who I'm dealing with in case you were looking to hurt me." He didn't really seem as concerned as his sentence implied.  
  
"So now you've found me. How'd I do?"  
  
"Too early to tell."  
  
Max continued to follow them, until a hoverdrome sent the girl running off. Max, paying no attention to the male, followed her target, keeping close behind her as she lead her back to her house. As her target walked inside the building, Max climbed the wall, and met her at her own floor. With perfect timing, Max leapt into the window just as her target was walking past, throwing them both to the floor. Grunting, but with lighting fast reflexes, her target threw Max off her, and they both came to their feet in a defensive pose.  
  
The girls eyes narrow, and she stared at Max for a long moment, "Max?" she said finnaly.  
  
"Thought I'd forgotten you Tinga?" Max threw herself at her ex-sibling, delivering a head numbing punch, which Tinga avoided. She lashed out with her leg, which Max caught, twisting the older sister who landed on her back.  
  
"You've been out of the game too long." Max sneered, kicking Tinga hard in the ribs. Tinga grunted again, rolling herself over and then on to her feet, again taking on the defensive pose. Max flipped forwards, and attacked with her leg, sending Tinga crashing against the far wall. Tinga stood, and Max walked over to stand before her, ready to fight.  
  
Tinga went to punch Max in the face, who blocked, then again in the stomach. The fast pace fight went on, both woman trading blows, blocking more often then hitting.  
  
A clicking noise brought both women to a halt, their attention centred on the door. The noise stopped, and Max, not as curious as Tinga, turned back and smacked the other woman, sending her crashing to the ground. Max quickly bent over her, taking out a syringe and a bottle. Throwing off the wrapper, she looked up startled as the door flew open.  
  
Logan, the man from the bar before, stood up, lock picking tools still in hand, surprise clearly evident on his face to see a woman crouched over another, who's lip had started to bleed, syringe in hand.  
  
The distraction was all Tinga needed, who delivered a blow to Max with her leg. Max stumbled back, and Tinga did a flip to stand up. She jumped up, kicking out with one leg, which smacked Max directly on the face, then flipped around, kicking her in succession with the other leg. Max went down, and stayed down.  
  
Not even breathing hard, Tinga, with a glance at Logan, walked over to Max, taking the syringe out of her hand and reading the bottle label. "Flurazepam." She said softly.  
  
"Sedative." Logan supplied, still watching them, "What did she want?"  
  
"Me." Tinga replied, then, without pause, pushed the syringe into the bottle, filling it up, then pushed it into Max's arm, sliding the drug into her system.  
  
"Is that wise?" Logan asked, still standing at the doorway.  
  
Tinga stood, "It'll give me time to figure out what to do with her." She glanced at Logan, "What are you doing in my apartment?" she frowned, "You've got some nerve."  
  
"Me? You're the one who tried to rip my place off."  
  
"I steal things in order to sell them for money.. But some guy breaking into a girls apartment is warped."  
  
"Warped?"  
  
"Warped."  
  
"I came to bring you a present." Logan held out the statue she had tried to steal before.  
  
"And am I suppose to thank you?"  
  
"It wouldn't be inappropriate."  
  
Max on the floor moaned, and Tinga bent down to grab her arms. As she did, her hair fell forwards, and Logan caught site of the barcode on the back of her neck. He frowned, then followed her into her bedroom as she dragged Max along. As Tinga handcuffed Max, Logan walked over to her dresser, where he notices a bottle with a few white pills in it.  
  
"Is she one of the others?" he asked, as casually as he could.  
  
Tinga's head snapped up, "The others?" she echoed.  
  
"The ones like you."  
  
"You've lost me." Tinga looked nervous and got up, walking back into the living room.  
  
"Tinga." The tone of his voice made her stop, "First I watch you take out my bodyguard, a 250 pound ex-cop, and then I come in here to find you fighting combat with a girl your own age."  
  
"I kick ass. A girls gotta to survive out here."  
  
"Then I found these." Logan held up the bottle he'd found on the dresser, "I know who you are Tinga. The barcode on the back of your neck. I know who your running from." He pointed behind him, back to the bedroom where Max was handcuffed, "And I'll bet that statue she's from Manticore, come to bring you and the other twelve back."  
  
"Twelve?" Tinga turned to face him.  
  
Logan nodded.  
  
"I never knew." She walked back into the bedroom, staring at Max, "She was part of my group, x5. The night we escape, she wouldn't come. She stayed behind when the rest of us got separated. I'd avoided them this long, I thought they'd give up."  
  
"Manticore has sent a dozen out like her. I've got reports of a special op. hunting down certain individuals." Logan stood directly behind her; she could feel his breath on the back of her neck.  
  
"They won't go back without a fight."  
  
"They won't have a choice."  
  
  
  
More chapters as I write them! Email ~ eyes_only_angel@yahoo.com.au for feedback. 


	2. Meeting.

Logan stood over Max, wondering if he should have insisted on Tinga going to work at her bakery instead of staying back to watch over Max.  
  
The woman was still sedated, but Logan knew she could wake up at anytime, and he wasn't sure if the handcuffs would to anything to faze the genetically engineered woman.  
  
Suddenly her eyes opened, and she stared coldly at Logan.  
  
"Take it easy." He took an involuntary step backwards.  
  
Suddenly Logan heard a snap, and Max flew at him, pinning him to the ground, "Where is she?" her hand was at his neck, limiting his breathing.  
  
Logan tried to swallow, noticing Max's thumb bent a strange angle, wincing at the though she'd broken her own thumb to free herself of the cuffs. She pushed harder against his neck, "Where?"  
  
"I don't know." Logan croaked, "Why don't you let me go and we'll talk."  
  
Max watched him for a bit, then slowly let go of his neck, backing up to stand, watching him warily.  
  
Logan sat up, rubbing his throat, already feeling the bruise she'd left.  
  
"Talk about what?" Max asked.  
  
Logan stood, "About what exactly it is your doing here."  
  
Max shrugged, the beginnings of a smile creeping across her lips, "Completing my objective."  
  
"Which is?"  
  
"Who are you anyway?"  
  
"Someone who's taken a great interest in your work."  
  
Max frowned, "And what exactly do you know about my work?"  
  
"I know you've come to collect Tinga. To take her back."  
  
"Back where?" she asked innocently.  
  
"I thought I was the one asking the questions." Logan smiled at her, then instantly regretted it. Max's pose turned defensive, her guard instantly went up.  
  
"What.."  
  
Max turned suddenly, catching a blow to her head from Tinga. The other girl followed through with a kick to her stomach, sending Max to the floor.  
  
"Wait! Tinga!" Logan moved to stand in front of Tinga, and the girl stopped in her tracks.  
  
Behind him, Max flipped to her feet, then kicked out at Logan's back sending him crashing into Tinga. Tinga threw Logan to the floor, and shot after Max, who'd sailed out the window. She stopped at the windowsill, watching Max disappear.  
  
"She'll be back." She spoke, more to herself.  
  
"She wasn't leaving." Logan picked himself up, thoroughly disgusted, "If you'd bothered to wait, you'd have noticed she wasn't trying to kill me."  
  
"That's because she wasn't after you." Tinga turned around to face him, "If she'd seen me first, I wouldn't be standing here."  
  
"She obviously doesn't have a kill-on-site order."  
  
"Your point?"  
  
"Perhaps you can talk to her. See if she'll listen to reason."  
  
Tinga didn't answer, and Logan noticed her hand shaking slightly.  
  
"Tinga?"  
  
Suddenly her body convulsed, and she fell forwards on to her knees, her whole body now shaking violently  
  
"You okay?" Logan bent down beside her, helpless as to what to do.  
  
"I'm not feeling so good." She sat down, hugging her knees, "It'll pass. Always does." She reached into her pocket, pulling out her bottle of Tryptophan pills, pushing a few into her mouth.  
  
"What can I do?" Logan asked worriedly as she shaking hands threw the bottle to the ground. Her pills scattered.  
  
"Nothing." She sounded almost angry, "Just give me some space."  
  
Logan stood up, at a loss. Her body jerked a few times more until she finally settled. She looked up into Logan's eyes, then abruptly stood up. "Lets go find this bitch." 


	3. Attack

"You said you needed my help." Tinga sat with Logan at the table, candles lit while they shared dinner.  
  
Logan watched her over the rim of his glasses, trying not to let her know he was watching her, "In exchange I could track down the others for you. perhaps find the surrogate mother they used to carry you to term after the in-vitro work." He seemed very intent on his food.  
  
"I'm not liking this a whole lot."  
  
Logan looked up at her, his face now serious, "The woman you met, Lauren. I need your help protecting her. She supervised workers removing cortodiazapine from gelcaps by hand and replacing it with powdered sugar. Real drug was shipped out of the country. Placebos were distributed to the county V.A. Hospital and veterans' clinics in the area. Lauren's prepared to testify that she was working for one of Edgar Sonrisa's managers and I'm sure you're aware of the lengths he'll go to keep her quiet. With your background and training, the risk goes way down, and she might survive to give testimony. We'll bring a man to justice."  
  
"What if we get caught?"  
  
"If your worried about Manticore.." Logan trailed off, "Tinga, they already know where you are."  
  
"Tactical exposure." Tinga leant back in her seat, "You really think you can find the others?"  
  
"I can try."  
  
"Alright, I'll do it. What about Max?"  
  
"Your Manticore sibling?" Logan shrugged, "We'll wait for her to make the next move."  
  
  
  
Logan stood at his window, watching the morning smog start to lift. He'd sent Tinga and his bodyguard Peter out before the sun had risen with Lauren and Sophie, and regardless of the faith he had in the ex-manticore solider, he couldn't help but agonize over wether they'd be okay. He took a deep breath, willing himself to relax, then slowly walked to his television, switching on the set to break the monotony of his silent house.  
  
"She's not here is she?"  
  
Logan jumped, spinning around to come face to face with deep dark eyes and red luscious lips, "You startled me." He tried to regain his dignity, again taking an involuntary step away from the assassin.  
  
Max seemed to sense his fear, and her eyes studied him before she smiled, "Something troubling you?" she asked, resting an arm on the back of his couch, "You seem tense."  
  
"Can I ask what your doing in my apartment?"  
  
Max shrugged, the smile still tugging at her lips, playful, "We didn't get to finish our conversation yesterday."  
  
"Really?" Logan was weary of the woman; he didn't know what to make of her. She was a genetically engineered killer, her sole purpose was to hunt and destroy, and yet she stood in front of him like they'd been friends since high school.  
  
She took a step towards him, closing the gap between them to inches, "I hate dropping out like that."  
  
'Two men and a woman are dead after a shoot-out near the superior court building earlier today. This dramatic footage was captured by police hover dromes.'  
  
Logan tore himself away from Max's penetrating gaze, his eyes taking in the horror of the news bulletin in front of him. A very familiar car swerved to a stop, surrounded by black cars. The front door opened, and Logan identified Peter running out, wincing as he is shot to the ground. A woman flew out after him, Lauren, and Logan watched as she ran off screen, hopefully to safety. . The second passenger door opened, dark hair betraying Tinga. She started to run, then suddenly stopped, her body going ridged. The hoverdrome scans in closer to reveal young Sophie, the girl's face streaked with tears. She struggled in Tinga's arms, and then the older woman fell to her knees, the hoverdrome showing the large bullet hole threw her stomach. Sophie broke free of Tinga as the dead weight fell to the hard ground, and is grabbed by a man in black.  
  
The hoverdrome continued to scan the carnage, until a man in a black ski mask aimed up and shot it, sending static back to the viewers...  
  
  
  
Next Chapter soon! I promise. PLEASE review! 


	4. Persuasion

Logan stood in shock, unbelieving. Tinga was dead. She'd gone out for him, put her life on the line, and it was his fault she had been killed.  
  
"Pity."  
  
Logan turned, Max still stood where he'd left her, but her teasing smile was replaced by a disgusted frown. "Pity?" he echoed her words, unable to comprehend her meaning.  
  
"They wanted her alive. She risked her life for nothing." She paused, "I thought she'd know better."  
  
"Not that you'd care." Logan went on the defensive, angry with himself for Tinga's death, and with the woman in front of him, who didn't seem to realise the enormity of his guilt.  
  
"Hey." Max's sharp voice jarred him slightly out of his own self-pity, "Your not the only one who lost someone. She was my sister."  
  
"If you two are such close siblings, why so persistent to take her back?"  
  
Max paused, as if weighing her words before answering, "We're not even human. We don't belong out here. She betrayed everything we stood for when she ran away. She betrayed her own family."  
  
"And found her freedom."  
  
Max laughed, short and clipped, "Spare me the propaganda, I'm not interested."  
  
"Really?" Logan watched her intently, "What do you think they'll do to you when they find out you failed to 'complete your objective?' That you let your target be killed?"  
  
Max's eyes narrowed, "I'll accept whatever's handed out to me. Like a soldier."  
  
"So you'll go back? Let your life be lived by some military command?"  
  
"It was what we were made for." It was said in a whisper, more to herself then anything else.  
  
"You can stay Max." Logan's eyes settled on hers. Being a 'journalist' meant getting people to do things they don't usually do. He'd picked up a few tricks along the way. "I can set you up. Help you melt into the background."  
  
"You can't hide from them." An unconscious gesture, her hand moved to the back of her neck, where she rubbed her barcode behind her hair, "They'll find me."  
  
Logan could tell he was loosing her. She started to back up, and Logan became frantic. This went further then just helping an innocent prisoner escape from her own living hell. Somewhere deep inside he knew he needed her to stay.  
  
"Max." he reached out to grab her arm, to stop her from running off until he could find a way to make her stay, when she caught it in an iron grip, bruising his hand instantly. Her gaze narrowed, and Logan felt chills down the back of his neck.  
  
"I'm going now." She let go of his hand slowly, then back away to his door. She took one last look at him before slipping out, once again leaving Logan alone.  
  
  
  
Short but sweet. ( What did you think? Want more? Review~ and I promise they'll come. 


	5. Pressure is building

Spoilers~ This chapter is taken from the episode I and I am a Camera, with my own little adjustments. It might be hard to follow unless you've seen the ep.  
  
Disclaimer~ This is all for fun! I don't own any of the Dark Angel characters, and making no profit from any of this. Just hoping to keep a few people occupied till they get to watch Dark Angel again. : D  
  
------  
  
6 months later, Logan sat in front of his computer, the screen full of pictures of different people, taken from police files. Under half the names the word, deceased, is scrawled.  
  
Logan sighed, leaning back in his chair, then rubbed tired eyes behind his glasses. The silence in the empty house was almost deafening, and Logan had spent the last 12 hours trying to figure out how these recent parolee's had died. Now he knew. His phone rang, making him jump.  
  
"Logan." He said, wondering who on earth would be calling him in the middle of the night.  
  
"Ah, Junior." The familiar voice on the other end made Logan roll his eyes, trying hard not to sound to disappointed.  
  
"Uncle Jonas."  
  
"Make this quick junior, I'm a busy man."  
  
"I can imagine." Logan said under his breath, then straightened up, "Remember I told you of those people dieing in Seattle. Without any witnesses. They were killed by hoverdrones."  
  
"Those are pretty serious allegations junior. You not saying I had anything to do with it."  
  
"No, but you do build custom for outside buyers right?"  
  
"With gun turrets? I think that would have thrown up a few flags down in purchasing. Our entire company is built on the idea that hoverdrones protect people. You publish some half-assed yarn it's going to drive away business."  
  
"I won't publish anything I can't prove, but people are dying. And if this gets into the wrong hands." Logan trailed off.  
  
"I'll look into it." Jonas promised, then ended the conversation quickly.  
  
Logan sighed, hanging up his phone. Doing business with his uncle was never much fun. He walked over to a draw, where a security photo of Max lay. She was looking away from the camera, couched down, her head bent so her hair fell down the side of her face. The camera had caught the first few numbers of her barcode, 332960-. He stared at the picture, unsure why he was so drawn to it. He wanted to find her. He tried to convince himself it was so he could keep tabs on her. A genetically engineered killer running loose wasn't exactly a warm thought, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get her out of his head. She was out there somewhere, and he wouldn't stop until he had a change to talk to her again.  
  
  
  
A few nights later, Max lay on her stomach, listening through a glass roof two men deep in conversation.  
  
"Target practice is almost over. The facial recognition technology is working perfectly. We're going to be able to market a stealth technology that can track down and eliminate anyone anywhere...from a photograph. A month from now, we can just sit back and let the bids roll in."  
  
Max let a satisfied smile creep onto her lips. It had taken her almost a month, but she had finally tracked down the owner of the killer hoverdrones. Manticore wanted the technology, and she'd been sent to retrieve it. Suddenly her head snapped up, and she watched as a drone flew down beside her, then continued down the side of the building. Looking into the room, she watched as Jonas was killed, shot multiple times in the chest with twin 45-caliber automatics. She sighed. The man had done a deal with the devil, and now he'd paid the price.  
  
The other man in the room didn't even blink, walking over to a stand and picked up a photograph. Max used her enhanced vision to see who it was of.  
  
Logan.  
  
-----  
  
Great? Bad? More coming I promise. PLEASE review. 


End file.
